E-commerce through online marketplaces is thriving. When making a purchase online, several supporting vendors contribute to the transaction, such as a warehouse storing physical items for sale, a payment processor to collect and distribute funds, and a transporter for delivery of items. These entities often operate external to and independently of a marketplace, resulting in isolated processes and distributed information adhering to varying formats.
Peer-to-peer marketplaces are a segment of e-commerce in which nearly any individual with access to a networked computing device can become a seller in addition to a buyer, even for selling a single item. Individuals typically do not have access to the resources of larger entities, and lack policies and procedures of an established distribution point. Further, individuals are not trusted as much an established business. Therefore, some Internet shoppers are less likely to buy from a peer-to-peer marketplace in which results after a sale can vary widely.
What is needed is an integrated approach to order processing, payment processing and delivery of items in e-commerce transactions. Further, the technique should be event driven in order to integrate multiple vendor systems involved in executing an e-commerce transaction involving physical items.